Tasmanians have made it clear they want all arrivals from Victoria to be tested for COVID-19, and the government must act to implement that.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said the level of anxiety in the Tasmanian community continues to grow as the situation in Victoria worsens.
“It will be mandatory from this week for Victorians to wear masks while outside their homes undertaking essential activities.
“If it’s good enough for the government in that state to take steps to protect people from potentially infectious Victorians, it should be good enough for the Tasmanian government too.
“We’ve already seen governments in and act to protect their citizens, by requiring everyone arriving from Victoria to have a COVID-19 test.
“There is no logical argument the Tasmanian government can make for why they are not implementing the same requirement. It’s a quick and simple test that would provide an additional layer of protection for the Tasmanian community.”
Ms White said it was not good enough for the government to hide behind public health advice.
“The government has been scornful of Labor’s calls for mandatory testing, but public health should not be used as a political football.
“Our public health officials have done an amazing job during this period, and their advice has supported key decisions made to protect Tasmanians.
“But the government needs to look at the experience in other jurisdictions. The decisions taken in the past week in South Australia and Western Australia are presumably based on public health advice in those states, and are designed to protect the community and the economy.
“This is clearly not a matter of politics – this is a situation where governments are acting in the best interests of people as a worrying situation unfolds.
“We’ve seen how damaging the second wave has been on to the Victorian economy and community and we do not want to see that happen here.”
Rebecca White
Labor Leader
